Safety plea after pregnant Houghton mum fell on potholes

A PREGNANT mum due to give birth in the next few days was rushed to hospital when she tripped in a pothole in her street.

Samantha Bell, whose baby is due today, fell over in Shop Row, Philadelphia, Houghton, where she lives, after falling in one of the holes.

She had been chasing after daughter Chloe, three, as the tot ran towards the pothole when she fell.

Mrs Bell was taken to hospital by husband Gavin, 19, but scans showed no damage to her baby.

Mrs Bell, 20, a former Houghton Kepier School pupil, said: “I was in shock and I couldn’t talk.

“My arms are still aching now.”

Residents living in Shop Row say potholes in the street are an ongoing problem and that they have counted more than 12 of them in the road, with some up to four inches deep.

A furious Mr Bell said: “We need to get something sorted.

“It’s getting beyond a joke now.

“I could’ve lost two lives with what happened.

“Nobody is doing anything about it.

“I’m not sure if somebody owns it or not, but nobody is coming forward.”

Earlier this year the Echo reported how dad Lee Douglas was left furious after his two daughters, Molly, five, and Maggie, two, suffered cuts and bruises after falling from their bikes when riding on Shop Row.

Mr Douglas, who lives next door to Mr and Mrs Bell, said the street is in “an appalling condition”.

Throughout the dispute, Sunderland City Council has said it is the responsibility of the residents to maintain the “unadopted” private road.